What a Wonderful Life-'Till Death Do Us Part
by MYSTERY READER the original
Summary: If Storm Hawks was a soap opera...The Empress of Cyclonia dies, a new one takes over, the Storm Hawks squadron are re-established by the last descendent of Lightning Strike. What brings these to together on the same Terra? Find out in this possibly hard to follow story filled with emotionally drainning twists and turn of events! *Every character will have a part in this.
1. Chapter 1

What a Wonderful Life-'Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter One-My mother was Harlot.

I was preparing for my Storm Engine's first trial; an invention completely designed by me and approved by the reigning Empress Anarchis of Cyclonia, my grandmother.

I woke up earlier today to make the preparations, make sure everything was ready to go; can't dare to make the Empress wait. Grandmother is a very busy and important woman. After double checking everything, I waited patiently for her by the door with my hands in front of me. I was ready and nervous but excited to show her my inventions ability as well as my own, earn my title and prove to her that I was worthy of it, and ready to take over as the Cyclonian empress after her.

After a while I sat on one of the many decorative ottomans and crossed my legs, prepared to wait some more.

After another while I sighed and got up to degenerate the experiment.

As the Empress of Cyclonia, grandmother was busy. Going to her office to confirm it, I found an empty room. It was possible that she was still in the tower; Grandmother always left everything tidy, anyone could be fooled to think it was untouched for a long length of time.

I never went to grandmother's room for anything; I've never seen the inside but what made me feel better about that was that no one was allowed nearby. _What Grandmother doesn't know won't hurt her…_I shook my head to dispel the thoughts of the many desires forbidden to me by grandmother that I had

I slipped in quietly, looking at all sides. I was glad that grandmother wasn't inside at all, she would catch me right away, but that meant she wasn't in the tower at all. And that she wasn't going to see my invention today.

It was nothing like my room. My room had the standard black walls, furniture, and large bed. Rather than black, my bed sheets were red and my chandelier was colorful; I had replaced the candles with different crystals and my collection of them were out in the open wherever there was an empty surface. Grandmother's room had no color at all. She made sure to not come to mine either; she said to me that it was too personal, everything should be blank and if I could do that, no one would be able to read me. It conflicted with what my mother believed in:

"Enjoy your youth. This is all yours so do as you please here. It's your special place too!"

"You mean like a fort?!"

"Uh-huh!"

Seeing it now made me afraid of losing my belongings.

Another thing that my room didn't have was a sleeping body in the bed. I was going to make my escape, before I was caught, until I realized that the Empress of Cyclonia shouldn't be in bed past the sky's bleeding sunrise. She never slept in. Ever.

"Grandmother?" _I can't believe she's asleep…_I tread to her bedside carefully.

"Grandmother…" _How odd, grandmother sleeps like a log…_Straight and still. I silenced my mind though it's ridiculous that she could hear my thoughts I still feared that she would chide me. But she didn't move. I moved to shake her shoulder.

"Grandmother!"

Horrified. Grief stricken. Lost. But most of all…scared…

* * *

><p>They day I ordered the Cyclonians to strip her room, was the day the tower realized that Anarchis was dead and that I was the new ruler. I didn't get my title after all my hard work and effort after all. What a joke. After successfully creating my Storm Engine, I have earned the right to name myself. Cycloniss, just like the devastating form storms. Just like a Cyclone, I will destroy Atmos and rebuild it my way. Like the storm that will be generated by my Storm Engine from the Aurora Stone. <em>How delicious, destroyed by their own symbol…<em>

I took care of grandmother with a funeral designed to mean nothing in the legacy of Cyclonia's long reign of Emperors just like my parents, my grandfather, and the rulers before.

Standing alone, in front of the coffin that sunk in the fiery depths of the Wastelands, I relived on of my earliest memories; my parents funeral. Then I was four and all I knew was that my Father could make me fly, raising me up, arms fully extended My mother was beautiful and warm, very loving, and warm.

"Mommy, why is my name Lark?" I asked, holding a bird from a species called Larks that she and I had nursed back to health.

"Because you're beautiful, strong, brave and bite size." I laughed when she pretended to nibble my cheek.

"Because just like the Larks you are intelligent and impressive. I couldn't be any prouder to be your mother."

Grandmother said that they were casualties of the war. I never cried. Their deaths meant nothing to me because their memories meant much more. I left the backyard to clean out the tower of Anarchis.

I was in the throne room when the Dark Ace, after returning from a mission, came in.

"Grandmother's throne…so old fashioned…" As if I needed to explain myself for moving it to the Imperial office. I couldn't get rid of that.

"Times are changing Dark Ace."

"I remain your humble servant, Master Cycloniss."

"_Good, we have work to do…_"

The Dark Ace stood by. I didn't need to prove myself to him; he listened to me talk about the plans, my frustrations, and he was there for most of the time that I was putting it together. He was there for the whole development. In the excitement of being closer to controlling all of Atmos, I just had to show _someone_ and who better to understand than the Dark Ace?

All of the mechanics functioned to perfection; it couldn't be anymore perfect. I allowed a smirk. Turning to meet the Dark Ace's sneer, my smile grew into a grin. _I'm ready. Are you…?_

Reorganizing the Imperial office to my liking was the last task. Whatever I decided to keep would be stored; the rest would lie on the ground until the Cyclonians came to take it away.

Another great thing about grandmother's crossing was that I now had the key to the locked drawer that enchanted me with curiosity since I was her child apprentice. Like a child locked in a sweet shop, I went through its contents. In my moment of greed, a manila envelope fell from my fingers. Intrigued that it was sealed I dropped everything else that had nothing of interest anyway to the ground and gave it my attention.

"A secret in the secret drawer…My birth certificate?! I can't believe she kept this…" _Did I judge her wrong? _My heart softened slightly but not a lot.

Next, I pulled out the pages clearly ripped from the travel logs and a diary.

_Mom's diary…?_

I immediately sat down on the throne that I used as a chair for the table; my crystal machine and its Storm Engine appendage, took its place in the throne room.

_I can't read mom's diary. She was always so sweet…_I looked at the logs instead. I recognized the handwriting right away. When Papa was away, he would write me letters.

_June 2nd, 1993, construction of the new smelter on Terra Gale is under way_.

A note attached to it was of a hand that I didn't recognize: **_Stopped briefly at the Galean postman office Master Anarchis._**

_August 23__rd__, 1993: Surveillance of Terra Nimbus complete. Indeed a conquerable Terra._

**_Delivered a bundle of sorts to an orphanage suspected to be not done in random Master Anarchis_**_._

_Grandmother had Dad followed_…?

There were more records of course but those pages were only of logs written by my Father, who apparently frequented Terra Gale and Terra Nimbus from 1983 to ten years before I was born, to 1993 when I was four.

_This was year Nimbus was conquered…_

My birth certificate showed the date that I grew up knowing as my birthday. Believing that there was a connection within the three, I held my mother's diary again. I knew my parents loved each other and to respect that, I refused to read my mother's intimate thoughts.

Nimbus was a little too sunny for my taste but if I wanted to find out more, I would have to visit the orphanage my father perhaps helped. My father was the type of man to do those things.

**AN: Sooo?! XD Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-My Father was a Sky Knight

I stretched a little farther to nudge the frame so it was as level as I could make it.

"How's that?" I asked Piper.  
>"Perfect!" I threw myself off of the file cabinets and flip onto my feet.<p>

Now that we were turning the Condor into our home, after the fight on Neverlandis, I thought it was a nice idea to frame the map given to me by the Guardians.

"I still can't believe it." I admit. She chuckled.  
>"I think it's a dream come true. I don't know about you but I always knew you'd make a great Sky Knight." I scratched my head, a nervous habit.<br>"Thanks Piper." She gave me an award winning smile before leaving to sort out the maps.

Junko and Finn were moving in the new mattresses we got cheap at a market in a nearby Terra on our way to Atmosia. There was no need and no reason to wait, so we set course for Terra Atmosia, the Administrative Terra, to get registered into the records of the Sky Knight Council.

I went to face my load, sorting out the books and whatever that was in the file cabinets. Stork was afraid of getting an inner arterial explosion from sneezing from the dust that collected there. Finn and Junko like him because they think he's funny, Piper was always eager to learn and Stork knew a lot about the Wastelands and Merbia, and me?...Well I didn't mind his maniacal way of driving…

Finn-"Yo!" We all turned to his sudden cry for attention.  
>"You are not going to believe this!" he said, setting down the old photo he was waving above his head onto the table.<p>

Piper-"Finn, careful! That photo-!" she gasped.  
>F-"If this is what Aerrow will look like when he's older-"<br>P-"It's Lightning Strike!" Radarr and I looked closer to it.  
>"I…"<br>Junko-"I think Aerrow looks cool."  
>P-"The resemblance is uncanny…Aerrow, this is your Dad,"<p>

_We look so much a like-except for the eyes…_

"That means my mother had green eyes…"  
>P-"I wonder how they met…oh it must have been so romantic!"<br>F-"I bet she's total MILF."  
>"That's my mother you're talking about!"<br>J-"What's a MILF?"  
>S-"That's if she's still alive…"<br>"You think she could be?!" I asked, gripping the last surviving photo of the Last Storm Hawks, complete with an irritated Dark Ace in the background,

P-"She would only be in her twenties, assuming she was around Lightning Strike's age. I highly doubt she was on the Condor when-none of the other members match her description anyway…"

I imagined her telling me stories about my Dad and helping me out with girl stuff, and just…making up for lost time-

F-"What are you thinking man? You totally zoned out there for a minute,"  
>"Ah nothing, let's keep cleaning up." I slipped the photo between my chest plate and shirt and went back to what I was doing.<p>

P-"Aerrow?"  
>"I'm fine Piper." I tried to push the remnants of my memories away.<br>"I know, I was just wondering-we can try to find her?"

"I'm from an orphanage on Nimbus Piper. I was there since I was four. If my parents wanted me I wouldn't have been there in the first lace let alone for ten years."

"There could be a reason for that; Lightning Strike was a very honorable man, you know that."  
>"Yeah but I wouldn't know where to start anyway."<br>"We could start at the orphanage?"  
>"Into Cyclonian territory?"<br>"We'll find a way." I shook my head.  
>"I don't know, I'd rather go to Atmosia and get registered so I can do what the Guardians said is my destiny to do."<br>Peaking of the Guardians, they didn't say anything about your origins?"

"Just that I was last descendant of Lightning Strike, so that confirms it to a certain degree but other than that, nothing. Look, it doesn't matter to me, you guys are the only family I'll ever need; you know that right?"

"Yeah…"  
>"Good." I went back to what I was doing, and after a few seconds, so did she.<p>

_Green eyes…my mother had green eyes_…It was an interesting fact.

I found the squadron log at some point It was started on the day that the Storm Hawks were founded by Lightning Strike. Flipping through I found out about the back stories of the members, there origins so to speak.

The Dark Ace was native to Terra Gale and he was a farmer left with nothing but lifeless soil when his grandparents, his only parents, died of old age. He had nothing to lose or gain if he stayed so he joined up in 1991, almost three years before I was born. Piper and I almost felt bad but it didn't change the fact that he was a traitor…and if Lightning Strike was really my father…his murderer-He was a threat to Atmos, our home, and he had to be taken down.  
>We got to Atmosia by the afternoon. I took down the map and the key to the Condor and the canister it all came in. It was the only proof that we had. Piper brought along a map of Atmosia so we didn't get lost. None of us had ever seen another Terra besides our own, while it was attacked.<p>

P-"We follow this dirt trail and when we reach the outskirts of the city, we just drive towards the Beacon Tower and we'll see it. I can't believe I'm going to see it!"

F-"So we just show up?"  
>"I guess so,"<p>

Heads turned when we rolled up to the Sky Knight Administrative Building. You'd really have to be living under a rock if you didn't recognize the emblem or know who the Storm Hawks were or how they made history when Lightning Strike managed to rally all of the squadrons to fight the Great Battle.

"Alright guys, let's do this…"

Walking in, you could smell the wood and aging paper.  
>P-"Wow…"<br>F-"So this is the famous Council building…"  
>Elder-"Can I help you young ones?"<br>"Are you the head of the Sky Knight Council?"  
>"I am indeed, as well as the scribe."<br>"My name's Aerrow, these are my friends. I received this from three men who called themselves 'Guardians'." I help up the canister and there was a sense of recognition in his face. Maybe it wouldn't be hard to convince him. He came down to speak to us.

"Yes, I'm familiar with them. Hmm, Indeed Aerrow; Even though being the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks is your birthright, you still need to pass the trails in order to be officially ordained and written into the registry."  
>"I'm ready."<br>"Very well, follow me."  
>"Uh…Sir?" The head and I were walking towards the front of the building from the field in the back.<br>"Yes son?"  
>"Do you know if Lightning strike had a…son?"<br>"Why do you ask?"  
>"I found this on the Condor and with the Guardian's message I'm led to believe Lightning Strike is my father,"<br>"Even though it's been ten years I'm certain everyone remembers Lightning Strike," he sighed.  
>"The resemblance is incredible but whether or not he had a son no one knows, however I would believe the Guardian's words if I were you."<p>

P-"Aerrow!"  
>F-"So how'd you do?"<br>E-"Congratulations Aerrow, your friend will be officially registered as a Sky Knight."

They guys cheered and I caught Piper who threw herself at me.  
>P-"I knew it!"<br>F-"Right on man,"  
>J-"Yay!"<br>R-"*Sqwuack*"

E-"I suggest you all train your hardest so when you come back, you leave as the new Storm Hawks squadron."  
>"We will."<br>P-"So where are we headed now oh Captain my captain?"  
>F-"Maybe we can head southeast?" he stretched.<p>

"I'd love to celebrate with some sun but I think I should look into hwy there's no record of Lightning Strike's lineage; we're practically taking the Guardian's word for it and I want to see actual proof."

F-"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"  
>P-"We will be by your side the entire time."<p>

"Stork, set course for Terra Nimbus!"

S-"And straight to our deaths…"

**AN: I know that this is two weeks left it's just that this is pre-written 'till chapter 5 and it was lost, at least I tohught so then I got them back so here it is, at last and I'll post two more so I hope I'm forgiven?**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three-My Brother is a Sky Knight

I sent Dark Ace to interrogate a Sky Knight named Carver who wanted to join the rank of Talons, to make sure that he was really on our side. I absolutely hate Sky Knights but what could be more vengeful than taking the heroes of Atmos and throwing them away? But they will gain something when I open the ports to the citizens of Atoms, they will see me as a hero and Cyclonia will finally control all of Atmos once more after almost a decade…

Taking advantage of his absence, I ordered a Cyclonian to prepare my ride and took a Chroma crystal as my only carry-on. I arrived at a Cyclonian base as Cycloniss and left as Lark. The engineering of Skyrides was completely shut down by the last Master ten years ago so as not to fuel the fight against Cyclonia.

The orphanage was everything I expect it to be; very run down from insufficient funds. It was a shocker as I expected what my reaction would be. _There couldn't still be kids in there…_

My thoughts completely changed as I got closer. I could hear cries of babies and yelling from the children. Walking in the smell was…it wasn't musky but it didn't smell fresh either. There was no one at the front desk but there were older children in the rooms at either side.

_Am I supposed to ring a bell in a noisy house?..._

Despite my disapproval, I did. I expected someone to come from the back stairs behind the counter but an older woman came from the back room with a toddler at her hip instead.

"Well I hope _you're_ not looking for a babe to adopt."

"No. I assume it's _you _I go to for information."

"That depends hon-hold still Jack- What are you looking for?"

"Records of visitors from 1993 to 2000."

"What for?"

"You ask a lot of questions…"

"It would make me irresponsible if I didn't."

"Touché; it's for a school report on the effects of the Great Battle on the conquered Terras and its citizens."

"That's very dangerous terrain you're venturing on, well alright-run along to Hannah now-Please wait through there while I get the logs for you."

"Um…thank you?" I said awkwardly. I walked cautiously into some sort of waiting room.

_What in Atmos brought you here Father? Why would you spend so much time in an orphanage when I waited for you to come home at the tower? You and mother weren't thinking of adopting from a conquered Terra, that would stain the Cyclonian name…If I don't figure it out here, no way am I going all the way to Terra Gale!_

"Here you go sweetie, I hope this helps you."

"Thanks."

It was the same log book that I saw on the counter when I came in. That meant that there weren't many visitors in the last ten plus years, I wasn't cold hearted as to not have acknowledge the sadness of that fact.

_If you spent so much time here Papa, I understand why Grandmother had you followed…_

Grandmother made me understand why we had to be harder on the conquered, enemy Terras.

_She would be very displeased in you Papa._

I was torn; I shouldn't be here either. I loved my parents but Grandmother was the only parent I had for most of my life. At four, I would have followed my parents anywhere but now I had to continue to expand Cyclonia, gain control over all of Atmos like it was decades ago so I could live up to the Cyclonian name. If I didn't achieve it then my…offspring would until it happened. It was our legacy.

_War is our legacy_…I shook my head, I can't think that way even if she's dead. It was the job I was left with and as a Cyclonian I had to fulfill it.

_Thank the odds they're dead, and in disguise no know would know I came here…_

I flipped the pages until I was at the year 1993.

_Why did you start coming here at __that__ year? This isn't the place to do recon, to protect it from the attack? Couldn't be, it happened anyway, Nimbus was conquered in 2000…You were here for a reason, I'm certain of __that__, but __what__?..._

I flipped back to the present and I didn't find my Father's name, obviously he'd use an alias and of course _I_ wouldn't know that is!

"Excuse me, do you know if there was a man who visited here frequently?"

"What's his name?"

"I-I don't know, maybe he didn't sign his name?"

"Everyone has signed hon',"

"Well…how about records of anything that happened in the orphanage at the time?" she sighed.

"I'll go see honey…"

She came back with a few more books and a small photo album.

"Let's see," she said, sitting down next to me. I tried not to scoot away.

"In 1993 we got a few more children and the people who brought them in had to sign their name. A few years later, in 2000, Nimbus unfortunately was conquered; there are records of the damages and reparations done." She said separating them.

"It would be good to add these numbers into your report."

"Right." She laid the photo album on top of the opened book.

"These are photos of the children brought in '93 and it goes on until they were older. In the records of the people who left them here had their pictures taken so they can be found more easily rather than with just a name. If the children did not get adopted, we would contact these people to see if they would take them in.

By comparing the records of these children from before and after the attack, you'll see who…survived and who…didn't….As you can see we haven't quite recovered yet. We can live with the house like this but not with the loss of these angels."

"You loved them." I said surprised. These kids weren't hers.

"Yes I do. I was here when they came here. I'm sorry for rambling; let me know if you need any more assistance."

"Y-yes…"

I vaguely remembered my Grandmother's plans; I was seven. Looking through the records of the people who left the children abandoned a second time I paid close attention to the facial features.

The thing about Chroma crystals is that they can change your appearance: hair, and eye color and clothes but it can't change the structure that the skull gives it. I was looking for a man in his early twenties, with light skin and a square jaw, and wise eyes that could be seen through the power of the crystal.

It took some time to find him. His eyes and clothes were change to that typical of a Nimbus native. I carefully peeled off the picture and slipped it into my pink vest. _Aerrow Strike_…was the name of the child. Now that I had the child's name I could find him in the records.

_I can't believe he brought someone here…and where was he from?! Dad didn't have other children!_

Aerrow was actually the only boy without the mundane dirty blond or brown hair; His was a shocking red. I let out a sigh of relief.

_So it isn't Dad's_…_No way we're related; No one of the Cyclonian bloodline had that hair color. Mother had green eyes, Grandmother disapproved the bright color….Nah, no way Mom had another kid…she was really dainty, soft and sweet…what were the color of his eyes again?!_

"Can I help you?" I turned to the voice of the same woman who helped me. She was at the counter talking a group of four in cloak, a…_thing _in a cloak too.

"Hello, we're here to do a little bit of-uh research?" He brushed off his hood and I saw red. I flipped through Aerrow's album, from his registry photo as baby to a ten year old boy. I looked back and forth in disbelief. In his face I saw the slight boy-ish looks of a ten year old Aerrow.

He headed this way with the others; One Wallop, a brown, blue haired girl and a boy who looked like he could be from Nimbus and some sort of animal.

_I can't believe it…I. Can't. Believe it!_

"You will have to share; this young lady is doing the same sort of research."

"Small world." He jokes.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do. I hope you don't mind," he said to me.

"Uh…no?"

"Well I'm Aerrow. These are my friends: Piper, Finn, Junko, and Radarr. What's your name?"

All I heard was 'I'm Aerrow'…

**AN: DUN DUN DUN! XD I'm working off of the release date of Storm Hawks so the dates aren't that long ago.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four-My sister is a Cyclonian

Stork landed the ship atop of the trees on Nimbus. I led everyone to the orphanage that I was from. The chances of it being moved were slim, of it being closed impossible there were tons of kids there…but of it being destroyed during the attack…very probable.

I felt a little uncomfortable showing my past to the group of friends that helped me build a future despite it but they gave me space by following a few steps behind.

Nimbus was the Terra that invented Skyrides. I couldn't afford one so during the attack I hitched hiked to Neverlandis for the most part. When it was taken over by Cyclonia, production was discontinued; now Terra Edmontia was the distributor of Skyrides.

F-"This is it?" Piper elbowed him.

"I guess it never got better after Nimbus was attacked…"

I didn't have any bad memories of this place, just that one day, but I definitely didn't want to be back.

P-"We're here for you."

With that, I opened the door to my past.

I immediately recognized the older woman and hoped that she didn't recognize me. _Crap, I already took my hood off!_

"Can I help you?"

"Hello, we're here to do a little bit of-uh research?"

"Of what sort?"

"We are looking for records of a specific boy,"

"Follow me. You're not the only one looking into this orphanage today so you will have to share; this young lady is doing the same sort of research." I noticed a small girl with blond pig tails sitting with a pile of old books.

"Small world." I comment.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do. I hope you don't mind," I say.

"Uh…no?" I was going to ask what she was researching but I figured that I should introduce us first.

"Well I'm Aerrow. These are my friends: Piper, Finn, Junko, and Radarr. What's your name?"

"Um, I'm-uh Lark." Finn, Junko and Radarr were already going through the candy bowl whereas Piper and I sat across her.

"What are you researching?"

"I…don't know anymore…Is this you?" she took off her hand and revealed the picture of me taken when I was ten.

"Uh, yes…why are you looking into the admittance records?"

"What are _you _doing here?" _Something's off about her…_

"I need to find out who brought me here so I can find out my origins. You?"

"I want to know the same thing."

F-"That's weird." Said Finn, always the outspoken one.

p-"Finn!"

F-"What?"

"Uh sorry about that." _This girl knows __everything__…!_

"Were you a kid here?" _No…I don't recognize her…_

"No. This is definitely you."

"Yeah…?" Piper took the album to see for herself.

"Do you have any memories from then?"

"None worth remembering, just one of a man and I'm hoping to find him in here."

"The man who left you here?"

"Yeah but when I was seven, a man came and got most of us into the basement during the ambush. I don't know if it's the same man, his hair and eyes were different but…it happened so fast…anyway, he's important too; I remember him saying 'stay safe', that's why I think it's the same guy, he could have dyed his hair." She looked at the pile pf open books before pulling out a picture from her chest.

"Is this him…?" The picture was of a man that occasionally haunted my dreams.

"Yes! Who is he?!"

"My Father. Did you know that your last name is Strike." She said ominously.

"Not until a few days ago, when I found out I was the last descendent of Lightning Strike." She immediately became rigid.

"As in the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks…?" she said with n unsettling type of calm.

"Yes."

Before she was looking at me with controlled disbelief but now her eyes were full of pure hatred.

"The bastards who killed my parents?! Nooo!" And she tackled me.

"Woah!"

**AN: Good news! there's going to be a new chapter on thanksgiving morning (I'll post it the night before so it's viewable then) it's my way of saying thank you :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five-My Life is a…

_Cycloniss' POV_

My Father saved him. He wasn't a descendant of my Father. He was a descendant of my Mother.

He's Lightning Strike's son. The descendant of their _murderer_, a _Sky Knight_, a _monster._ And my mother was a traitor.

Anger overtook me. I yelled and tackled him to the ground. I was not related to a _Sky Knight_! And certainly _not_ by _blood_! It would make me an abomination, and my claim to the throne would be _void_!

I kept throwing punches and his friends tried to pull me off. He wasn't even fighting back; Cyclonians and Sky Knights are supposed to fight!

I must have made a lot of noise because we were kicked out by teenagers of the orphanage.

A-"What's wrong with you?!" They took off their cloaks and I prepared to fight by ripping off the Chroma crystal from my neck and took out my staff.

"_You're_ what's wrong _Sky Knight_!"

"It's Master Cycloniss!" some person screamed. Everyone started running away, screaming.

"Master Cycloniss?!"

"That's. Right and my _Mother _was the one who brought you into this world! She can't atone for her crime but I'll do it for her! REARGH!"

"You're Mother?!"

A fight ensued and it was, five against one but I didn't care; In anger I blasted all of them through windows and whatever was around. There was wind and looking above I saw the unmistakable, however beat up, cruiser of the Storm Hawks. My staff was blasted from my hand, I turned to see the girl, apparently a Crystal Mage as well, then above me to see a box come down where I was. I covered my head and saw that I was in a make shift cell.

F-"No way, we just captured Cycloniss!"

A-"Or my half sister-"

"Don't you _dare_ say that again!" I screamed.

"I can see it…" I'd love to rip off the familiar pale skin of his.

S-"Did I get her?!"

I attracted my staff and held it through the bars. I activated the crystal so it zapped the cage and broke it into pieces.

"I can't believe it…"

"I'm just as disgusted as you." He shook his head.

"Where is she?!"

"She's dead. She's been dead for four years!"

"Where is she from? What's her name, what does she look like?!"

"I'm not telling you anything about her" I said, pointing my staff at him before walking away. I wanted as much distance as possible between me and…_it_…

_Why Mama? Why have you betrayed us? Cyclonia is all I have left of you and Dad and now the history can't be destroyed…_

"Cycloniss! I'm not letting you leave like this!"

F-"Your not?"

S-"You're …_what_?!"

"I don't think you actually want to be related to the Empress of Cyclonia…"

"Finding out about my lost family is more important."

"Your Father **killed** _mine_, you honestly believe I'll help _you…_?!"

"You want to know what happened; _I'll_ be helping _you_." I gripped my popped hip and lifted my chin.

"Family tree discovery road trip? Regardless of the result we will **never** be _famil_y…" He scratched the back of his head.

"So…we take our ship?"

"After I get my ride."

"Then we'll meet up in the Sky."

"Relax _Sky Knight_, I wouldn't miss calling you a Cyclonian Half-_blood_…"

_Making you hate yourself will be delicious and just might make the trip bearable…_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six-My Life is a...

_Aerrow's POV_

Stork came down on the rope ladder; there wasn't enough room for him to land the Condor on the street.

S-"So you let her walk away?!"

A-"I didn't have a choice, she might really be my half sister and besides she freed _herself_!"

That fight showed me that she was strong enough to fight us all off on her own.

S-"What?!" he shrieked.

"Turns out the man who left me here was her father in disguise…" He fainted, falling backwards into Junko's arms.

P-"But-but...it's _impossible_!"

"I know it's so weird… this changes _everything_…"

* * *

><p><em>Cycloniss' POV<em>

I went into the base for my ride and back out.

_I don't believe this…I don't really believe this….It's strange to know I have a relative when I went to everyone else's funeral…_

I subconsciously thought of my mother's diary lying in the bag that I brought along.

_Decisions, decisions…_

Now I've only read about the Condor in books and seeing it in person was…fascinating. Very run down but interesting. I was loving being 'invited' on board.

_Internal conflict is always entertaining. This ship should have never risen from the Wastelands…_I added.

_Even if it's a Phoenix, it's still just a bird. I'll shoot the Storm Hawks down._

I landed noisily in the hanger, barely missing them.

"How charming, you waited."

A-"Yeah, whatever."

"Now this can be pleasant or very **un**-pleasant…"

"Let's just get this over with." I followed him into the bow, the rest trailing behind.

If they tried anything, I didn't have to worry; I was more than able to defend myself and they knew that too. The Merb that was tossed onto the couch was coming to but upon seeing me he fainted again with a shudder.

"What's wrong with _him_?"

"Nothing. So where are we headed?" he asked, standing strong and determined.

"Terra Gale; I heard she was from there when I was a child. It makes sense; Mother had dainty features typical of Gale…_and _green eyes…" I growled. He seemed to be stewing in jelousy.

_I can have a lot of fun with this…_

"Any grandparents?"

"Looks like we'll both find out." He sighed.

"About the guest bedroom…we…don' .one."

"That's okay, I was going to take _your_ room anyway-"

P-"You can bunk with me! You can't sleep in a boy's room after all,"

"That's fine. Now who flies the ship?"

A-"Ah-Stork usually does…" the pet jumped up and down with his hand in the air.

"You're kidding."

"Not really." I slit my eyes and walked around the couch and leaned into the merbs ear.

"_If you don't wake up, I'm going to put the Condor back where it came from_…!" I barely got out before getting an unwanted head bump in time.

S-"Ahhh!" I smirked.

"Scardy-cat…"

A-"Hey! If you're going to be on our ship you have to be respectful!"

"Oh, I promise to behave _big brother_…" he growled.

S-"I'll say it right now, I don't condone this."

"None asked!"

"Set course for Terra gale." The merb grumbled on his way to the helm. Despite the conditions of the Wastelands, and the years spent in it, the ship seemed to be very reliable.

"I don't believe my Father was defeated in this piece of trash,"

"Believe it." I scowled at him.

"Let's get something straight _Sky_ _Knight_, I don't like you and despite the results we're still enemies." Piper and the others have moved somewhere else.

"We would be family then, would you kill your family?"

"Your Father, my step-father, Killed my biological Father; that ship has sailed…"

"I don't think they knew…" My Mother's diary appeared in my head again. I crossed my arms.

"It's not likely I'll forget…" He groaned sinking into a chair at the table. _Such a child…_

"I better be older." I thought out loud.

"Not a chance, I'm taller,"

"Where do you get your information?!"

We arrived at Terra Gale a few hours later, right after sundown. I wasn't sure about Cycloniss bit I was beat and figured the others were too.

"Alright guys, let's call it a day."

S-"I'm not sleeping with _her_ in here," I waved my fingers at him and he shivered.

"Why are you turning in now when we just got here and there's time left? How do you expect to get any work done?"

"It's been a long day Cycloniss, and besides, Piper and I have to do recon to make sure it's safe."

I was going to say that it wouldn't take long considering I was Master Cycloniss, I could keep away the Cyclonians I posted here and I would have access to anything and everything we needed but it would cause uproar if any Cyclonian found out that their Empress was closely related to Sky Knight by _blood_…

"Fine but we rise with the sun. As for recon it's unnecessary. I've taken over Gale and there isn't anyone for miles."

I couldn't believe she said that with a straight face. Having a relationship with her was going to be hard, brother and sister or not.

P-"I'm guessing it's customary for you to take the bed?" She said after fluffing up the extra pillows on her bed.

"I don't know; _I'm_ certainly not sleeping on the floor or sharing the bed." I settled in and got comfortable. The sheets haven't been perfumed I realized.

I woke up at sunrise as per usual. Apparently that wasn't the case the case with these dweebs.

_Great…breakfast isn't done_…

I went to raid the kitchen for anything done or decent to eat. I never cooked, I never had the need to and according to Grandmother my time could be put to better use. Mother baked though…and she was amazing at it. Baking was a forbidden love, Mama and I did it in secret. I found sandcakes in a blue tin and they weren't bad at all!

Here I was in my wrinkle free battle suit and Aerrow walks in with disheveled hair, wiping sleep from his eyes, still closed, and yawning.

"Uh…Cycloniss? Am I dreaming?"

"Morning sunshine."

"Uh, morning…hungry?" he went into the kitchen and soon after Piper came out.

"Sleep okay?"

"Perfect."

"I'm not surprised…" she trailed off and went into the kitchen.

_Maybe I should go easy on her, but she's the first girl my age I ever seen, I can't help myself! _I settled with myself.

"Aerrow! If the flame is too high the eggs will stick and you won't scrub the pan later!"

"I'd scrub it…" he yelled back defensively.

"And who'll eat the eggs?"

_Wow…an odd exchange between two friends, is it not?_

After the others woke up and having to listen to their pointless banter, breakfast was finally served. It was short of extravagant but the atmosphere of…_family_ and _love_ made the simple meal very…_nice_…It almost made me cry. Almost.

**AN: There was some typos and I think I got them all. Besides, I forgot to add chapter six sepereately so the the new one is next! **

**PS: Check out my ****imitations video of the female voices of Storm Hawks on youtube under the same pen name. Pretty please? just type in "imitations Storm Hawks" and it'll be first. **

**Write your comment as a review if you dont have a youtube account and there's video of the characters so you can skip to your favorites.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven-Finding Mother

_Cycloniss' POV_

Aerrow asked for reports on the ship's condition and enrgy levels from the other squadron members who responded as we ate. There was never any conversation at meal times at the tower; Grandmother and I ate together but it was only for show. I hated it…I knew she didn't want to be there, but there she was... As soon as I finished I got up and addressed Aerrow directly.

"Let's get going."

A-"We can't, we have to come up with a plan; none of us can get caught."

"I can't get caught either-I mean, don't worry about it; I got it covered."

"Oh _really_…"

"Yes really-Kihk-don't dare try to act to _smart,_ it's ridiculous and you're not that good of an actor." I said with a smirk.

"Hey!"

S-"Not in the Condor!"

P-"It's broad daylight, how are you planning to succeed?"

"I reviewed the construction plans myself. It's practically the same for every smelter only with a few minor changes according to the terrain and I know where cyclonians should be stationed." I added.

"Don't you have the names of the people you imprisoned and relocated too?" he asked tensely.

"Of course not. An empress doesn't have time for that; that sort of work is given to the officer assigned to the smelter." They didn't seem to buy it.

"Look, even as I was being trained by her I never found anything like that; I only had to memorize the standard layout, how to alter it so it suits the terrains, the terras with smelters on them, and those without." their eyes were glazed but I kept going.

"How many cyclonians it required to guad it as well as the budget for food, cloths, and other resources."

A-"That's it?"

"In relation to the smelters yes, but there's a lot more I had to learn." _And a lot more to go which would probably take a long time now that-to learn on my own__…_Suddenly I felt immmensly stressed and tired at the same time. I had to pull a lot of all nighters which is why I wore a lot of eyeliner, to hide the dark circles.

P-"We still have to get in from this distance-which is why I made these costumes!" she held up green pathwork capes.

"Aerrow and I are the only ones going. It isn't necessary for you to come."

A-"I need them to watch our backs-"

"Exactly, _you_ need them." He stood up from his seat violently.

"If we're going to do this we're going to work as a team and that's final!" I grasped his shirt.

"I can't think of six other people when I have to think for myself! It's hard enough to watch out for you too! If they get caught I _can't_ and _will not_ help you, understand?!"

"No one knows about this do they?" I growled. _He can destroy me and Cyclonia if he blabbed!_

"You have to watch out for yourself…!"

"Listen to me, if you say a word about this to anyone then you're going to have a massive problem on your hands got it?!" I tried to stay stay strong and unwavering but I was struggling to keep from shaking.

He forced my arm off with his.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" _What do I say?_

"_If_ I captured you here, people will find out why you were here soon after…you and your 'family' will **never** become a legitimate squadron and you'll be a black sheep because you're half cyclonian and…I will have a civil war to deal with in Cyclonia. Both are things we aren't able to handle at the moment and things we can use as leverage on each other. To put it simply, _I_ won't tell if _you_ won't _big brother_..."

P-"If the other squadrons find out, there'll be a form of a civil war on our side too…"

A-"What do you mean?"

"The Storm Hawks are written in history text books because they were the first ever to get all the squadrons to become allies and if it weren't for their help, all of the terras would have been taken over and we wouldn't have gotten the few back from cyclonian rule…"

"Right you are Piper, I certainly wouldn't mind you in the family…so, are even?"

"Fine."

**AN:Here it is! Next one will be up around New Year's.**

**PS:Please check out my video on youtube. Type "imitations Storm Hawks" into the search box. I use the same pen name. Please watch and comment!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight-Finding 'Mom'

_Cycloniss's POV_

"Now since Piper doesn't have a map of the inside, _I'll _lead Aerrow and I inside, to the office for the files, and out."

A-"How are you going to get us inside if you can't use your 'status power'?" I gave him a meaningful look. _These sorts of things, personal/private affairs, stay within the family__…_I thought.

"This stays between you and me." I got out of my seat, even though there was a substantial amount of food on left on my plate. I hardly ever ate because I hated eating with Grandmother; this time it was because I didn't feel comfortable in this unfamiliar atmosphere.

I waited for him, leaning on my skyride.

"It's rude to make someone wait."

"It's rude to walk away from the table." he countered. I froze.

_"Cycloniss! It is rude to leave the table before your host does!"_

_"But I want to play-"_

_"But nothing! No exceptions!" Momma pleaded for me as she always did whenever I got in trouble. Grandmother was the punisher and she was never lenient. Not even to family._

_"Please Master, she's just a child, don't-"_

_"Do not tell me what to do Lina. You may be married to my son and the mother of the next Empress but you are far beneath me!"_

_"Try to reserve play time for…a time other than when you're with Grandma okay?" I simply nodded, dreadfully sorry for getting Momma in trouble._

_"Aw, come here sweetie…listen to me, never lose your ability to have compassion for others, sympathy,"_

_"But those are silly things momma, Grandmother says so." she looked at me anxiously._

_"No they're not, and those who think so or seem mean are just people who need it the most. Do you understand sweetie?"_

_"I think so?" she looked at me like she desperately wanted me to understand at that moment. Were she my grandmother I would have just said yes._

_"Like your father, he's a very kind man isn't he?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Just like him." she said as she smoothed down my hair._

_"And you?"_

_"…yes, but stronger. "_

I didn't understand then but as I grew older I realized things; the feeling I had when I heard and saw Grandmother belittle my mother and witnessed my mother's inability to stand up to herself, I found it's name:

Pathetic.

She wasn't able to stand up for herself and neither was I; later on, unable to protect herself from the sky knights who killed her, and my inability to protect _them._ My father died as well even though he was the best fighter in all of Atmos. But I wasn't stupid, I didn't have the political power do a thing…grandmother did.

Grandmother didn't do a thing.

I shook the memory off and accelerated to catch up to him. I pressed to pass him and he competed with me until we got close to the smelter.

"We'll go on foot from here." I hurried to the nearest bushes. _Down graded to this-_

"I don't keep secrets from my family," he said; I looked over the bushes to look for cyclonians patrolling the perimeter.

"That's nice." I took a beat. "Listen, I understand and I respect that but…it's your decision; if you think it's best then it's your call. They're _your _family after all, you know best."

"Thanks…Cycloniss…?"

"Sure. Let's move!" I ran to the fall, Aerrow right behind me.

"Boost me up. We'll get in through that air vent." I used his hands to get onto his shoulders.

"Hurry up!"

"Hold on, I'm short!" I rolled onto my heels.

"Oh geez!"

"Shh, quiet!"

I unscrewed the to screws on the bottom corners then forced it off all the way with my own strength because I couldn't reach the top corners. I lifted myself in and crawled into the first intersection to do a u-turn and crawl back into position to lift him. He was looking around for the patrol.

"Thought I abandoned you? Come on, you're my only brother after all." I pulled him up and crawled backwards until there was an exit between us.

"The office is right under us?"

"Of course not, it's in the center; with two rings of traffic around it, at least one person will catch the intruder." I jimmy the grate and pull it in, saving it for later. It was in moments like this that I hated my height, or lack of it.

"Will you hold on to my ankles? Floor's too…far from here."

"Uh…sure, yeah."

"Okay." I rolled onto my back, slipped in until I could brace myself with my hands at arms length.

"Hey, you know, maybe this is a good thing. It is a good thing." he suddenly said.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're building trust. I got'cha." I felt him secure me.

"Don't…don't drop me until I give the go." I slipped farther down until my knees became hooks.

"Go." I dangled like a ladder until I pull my feet down.

"Okay, now…" I held my hands up.

"You know how the trapeeze artists in Terra Neon hold on to their partners hands?"

"You've been to Terra Neon?"

"No, back to the point. Hold yourself up on my hands." He did the same thing I did ended up facing me.

"Good." "Good."

* * *

><p>The door slid close behind us.<p>

"So where do we go from here?"

"Get past the two rings and hope the office…isn't...hard to find…"

"You don't know where it is exactly," he pressed.

"I did say they were all different right?!"

"Well we can't stay here for long. I'll admit, there are a lot of cyclonians here-wha-?!" I quickly forced him into a nearby locker. Outside the door passed a pair of workers.

_It's amazing how unaware they are..._

"We won't speak of this, ever." I told him. Our bodies were pressed against each other, my breasts tocuhed his, and we had to turn our faces away otherwise…our lips would touch.

"They're gone."

"So back to figuring out…I have an idea…" he opened up more lockers and tossed me a uniform. I tilted my head. With a smile he backed into a locker shut the door.

"Ugh…" I went into one and changed too.

* * *

><p>"If it's this easy to fool the workers Im gonna-"<p>

* * *

><p>In no time at all and zero trouble we were in the office.<p>

"No hard feelings right?"

"No." I filtered through the files of the working prisoners, natives of Gale, to find the women's section and then looked for file with my mother's first name.

"Look for the registration book for land ownership while I..."

"Got it." "I'm done too. Now that we have 'camoflauge' we walk out through the back doors."

**AN:This is a really long one, I hope you like it. I was going to break it up but it's Cycloniss' time to shine and that flashback was a spontaneous bout of inspiration. REVIEW!**

**Jan.17th**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine-Bonding

_Aerrow's POV_

"Argh…!" Cycloniss quickly took off the Cyclonian uniform as soon as we got into the bushes.

"hm-hm, what's got you so worked up?" I laughed.

"mrgh! Wearing sweaty used clothes is what! Come on, let's go." still chuckling I followed her back to the Condor.

* * *

><p><em>Cycloniss' POV<em>

Everyone stepped back as I dropped the book and file onto the table to skim through myself.

"_LinaLinaLinaLina_…"

Aerrow-"What are you saying?"

"Lina, my mother's name." I flipped to the L section in the book and opened the file.

"Missing person report?!" It was at the top of the page in black, bold, capital letters.

A-"What?!"

_Lina Wren, daughter of Wren Senior born and raised in Gale. Missing persons report filed after the Cyclinian invasion. Dissappearance: Before the invasion…_

"She wasn't missing, she was married to my dad…" Aerrow took it from me to look for himself and I went back to flipping to the page of mother's property. There was a red X on the sketch of it.

"It's…it was destroyed!"

A-"What?!…Tis…this is _your_ fault!"

"How is it _my_ fault?!"

"Cyclonia is what destroyed my mother's home! We could have found relatives!"

"It was my Grandmother!" _I hated it, I hated being blamed!_

Everyone looked at me almost as if they were afraid.

"…it was my grandmother. _She_ ordered the attack; If I were empress then, if I _knew_ _then_…! Aerrow…I'm not like my Grandmother. She's dead and I've taken her place I-I don't know what I'm going to do but it isn't my fault!" Aerrow came and embraced me.

"I don't want this…I don't want to be hated…I was never wanted…" I whispered.

"**I** want you. I want my sister and my family back together." tears streamed down my face as he tightened his arms.

"It was Sky Knights who killed them-"

"But it wasn't us, you don't have to fight us. We'll find them and find out what happened. I promise." I clutched him.

"Big brother!"

"Baby sister…"

Piper-"Hey! Not all hope is lost! There's stlll Wren Senior to find!"

A-"Huh…?"

P-"Wren must be her father-your grandfather!"

"I-I didn't think to look for anyone else, I don't…"

Finn-"Then let's start looking, duh!"

"You guys will do that for me?"

Stork-"Is there anyone else talking…? Is there, because if there is then you're being overtaken by mind worms…!"

A-"We'll ride our skyrides and see if we see something but we risk getting caught by the cyclonian territory airspace radar,"

"There's a way; take out the the timepulse receptor. The radar was made to detect other aircraft by searching for anything that the timepulse is being reverbrated off of."

P-"Just take out the thing shaped like a pizza with googly eyes."

* * *

><p>We flew in alpha formation, like an A, like the V geese fly in so we were spread out but we could see each other otherwise we would crash. The importance of the timepulse is that it kept us aware of other aircraft.<p>

Finn-"So what are we looking for?"

"Anything." Finn was still confused, Junko only shrugged while the rest of us looked for anything livable.

A-"Cy, where's Piper?"

"Wasn't she behind you?" I looked behind me.

"Weren't Finn and Junko…" Our eyes met and we dove to the Terra.

A-"Piper! Piper! Finn! Junko?!"

"Wren?!"

"Over here! Get us out!"

P-"Finn! Your butt is in my face!" They were in nets, hanging from a tree, the edge of the Terra, and a crate.

"'old it right zerr!" we turned cautiously. It a tall spindly girl with green eyes, brown hair and a german accent. A native of Gale.

"R you…? Zycloniz!" Aerrow ran in front of me.

A-"Woah woah woah! We come in peace!"

Wren-"Stay strong, we got you now Zyclonian zu-ine!"

"Zat iz Zycloniz iz'nt it?!"

A-"We're looking for Wren!" the two Galeans looked at each other.

"Who wants to know…?"

"We-I found relatives of yours. Lina was my mother. Our mother."

**AN:Feb.1rst Review! Still good?**


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